


hope you know (i don't want nobody else)

by llostt_in_ttranslationn



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Childhood Best Friends to Lovers, F/F, Only One Bed, Pining, Roommates, stick with me for this one y'all, yearning but minimal slow burn bc i'm IMPATIENT
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2021-01-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27772861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/llostt_in_ttranslationn/pseuds/llostt_in_ttranslationn
Summary: After four years spent apart at separate colleges, childhood best friends Tobin and Christen decide to move in together to start their new adult lives.Only problem? For (at least) one of them, there are more than platonic feelings involved in the friendship.
Relationships: Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Comments: 33
Kudos: 250





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> guys i know i have 8 million unfished works already but it's 1am and i'm kinda manic rn and this idea won't leave my brain so just give it a shot. i will re-read it later on when i am more clear headed to see if it actually makes sense and isn't totally pulled out of the context of my head lol. okay i'm gonna shut up now. enjoy!

“I’ve missed this.”

Christen grins up at Tobin from her position on the floor in front of the couch that Tobin is currently sprawled across.

_This_ being a movie night in Tobin’s childhood home, eating pizza from the tiny pizzeria on the corner where Tobin’s neighborhood meets a main road, the place that makes the best veggie lover’s pizza that Christen has ever had. It’s been a good few years since the last time Christen was in that same spot, sitting on the floor so she could lean over her plate on the coffee table as loose vegetables slid off her pizza slice; she was trying to keep as much of the mess off Tobin’s mother’s nice couch as she could, though Tobin herself ate just as sloppily as always. The movie playing is a childhood favorite of theirs, _Aladdin_ , and resting around Christen’s shoulders in the well air-conditioned room is a quilt that Tobin’s grandmother had knitted over a decade ago for occasions just like this.

“Me too,” Christen responds softly after a few contemplative moments staring into Tobin’s eyes. 

It’s been a while, too, since she last saw Tobin in person. As it has usually been the past couple years, Tobin looks a little more buff in one of her trademark tank tops than the last time Christen had set eyes on her. Her hair is a little longer as well, because she’s always too busy to remember to make an appointment, and because she doesn’t trust anyone to cut it the same as her longtime hairdresser here in their hometown.

“Don’t forget to call Louisa and squeeze in a hair appointment before you leave town again.”

Tobin quirks her head to the side at the quick change of topic, but she smiles at Christen anyways. “That your way of tellin’ me I’m starting to look a bit like Rapunzel?” 

And Christen lets out that same unhindered giggle that Tobin has managed to pull out of her since they were ten years old.

“Hey, Chris?” Tobin asks, once they’ve both finished laughing. 

Christen merely hums her acknowledgment, eyes focused once again on the television. 

“Move in with me.”

Christen whips her head around to face her best friend, who has shifted into a more vertical position, posture clearly serious. “What?” 

“Not here, obviously, though I’m sure my mother would love to have you around permanently,” Tobin explains. “But we both just graduated, and after this week we will _both_ be living in Seattle. And you just said earlier tonight to my mom that you haven’t finalized your lease yet. So cancel it altogether, move into my apartment with me. It’s only one bedroom, but I’ve got a pull-out couch, or we could share my bed, like we used to do, and my bed in Seattle is twice as big as the one here that we used to share. C’mon Chris, didn’t we always used to say we wanted to be roommates when we grew up? Now’s the chance!”

And Christen was already planning to say yes to Tobin’s little proposal, because it’s been four years since they got to see each other on a daily basis, but Tobin’s adorable speech to convince her to agree just makes things so much sweeter. “Okay, yes, I’ll move in with you!”

“Really?” Tobin’s eyes glow in the brightness from the TV, lighting up the otherwise dim room.

“Of course, dummy. You know I’d never turn down the opportunity to spend more time with you. And living together? Well if only little twelve-year-old Tobin and Christen could see us now!” Christen gives a wide grin.

“You’re gonna love Seattle, Chris, I just know it. I mean, you already do love it! I know you’ve only visited a handful of times, but you’ll settle right in. I can’t wait to show you around, and to show you off! All my friends from UW have heard so much about you and they were always so mad I kept you holled up in my dorm whenever you came to visit me. And ugh, I can’t believe when you visited during the fall semester about that job, I was studying abroad in France! You were in my city and I was thousands of miles away. It was tragic. But now it’ll get to be _our_ city! Just like here!” Tobin’s excited rambling is probably one of Christen’s top five favorite things in the whole world.

Christen abandons the remainder of her pizza —which is honestly little more than crust and stray veggies at this point— and climbs up onto the couch next to Tobin, who is practically vibrating with excitement. She drapes her quilt around both their legs, snuggling into Tobin’s side, where she has fit perfectly since they were scrawny, lanky pre-teens watching cheesy rom-coms that Tobin claimed to hate yet for some reason always cried at the sappy endings. 

“Just think, Chris,” Tobin says, quieter, almost dreamily. “This’ll be us, every single night. Movies, wine, _cuddles_. Everything we used to dream about.”

Christen smiles, though her head is resting on Tobin’s shoulder, so the other woman isn’t able to see the small, wistful grin. If Christen was bolder, or even just a little more tipsy from the aforementioned wine, maybe she’d remark that the picture of them that Tobin has just painted is something _she still dreams about_.

And maybe it’s a little cliché for Christen to be in love with her best friend, but she thinks it’s actually quite justified, seeing as Tobin is such an incredible human being. How could anyone _not_ be in love with her? How could anyone who knows Tobin as up-close and intimately as Christen does, not be in love with her? Christen figures that the next few months are going to be very, _very_ influential on the future of their friendship. She’s had four years to _yearn_ for Tobin’s presence, and now, she’ll be thrown into the deep end, living with Tobin; _sharing a bed_ with Tobin. If she can’t keep her emotions in check, she’s going to have to do something drastic. Something like admitting to Tobin that she’s been in love with her since they were teenagers. And while that’s not something Tobin would _ever_ end their friendship over, Christen knows things will never be the same afterwards. And it both terrifies and excites her to find out how everything is about to change.


	2. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yesterday may have been christen's birthday but i think it was us that received gifts. hope y'all have a brilliant 2021.
> 
> content warning for mentions of anxiety attacks and fear of religious homophobia. nothing intense, but i thought i'd mention it just in case.

“So I’ve been thinking.”

“Uh oh.”

Tobin jerks her head to the left to send a glare at Christen, but the other woman is grinning with such simple mirth that Tobin’s sharp gaze melts almost on its own accord. 

“Okay, _rude_ ,” Tobin rolls her eyes affectionately, not even slightly genuinely mad at Christen’s quip.

“What have you been thinking about, Tob?” Christen prompts, still smiling softly. 

While she waits for Tobin to continue speaking, Christen busies herself by taking a sip from her morning coffee. 

“I think instead of flying to Seattle and shipping your stuff to my apartment, we should pack up your car and make it a road trip, instead,” Tobin watches Christen’s face carefully for any negative reaction, knowing that her best friend almost never says no to her suggestions, even if she secretly hates them.

Christen swallows her mouthful of coffee in a harsh gulp, but the burn of the scalding liquid running down her throat doesn’t even register in her mind. 

“But you _hate_ long car rides,” Christen says after a moment of gathering her wits.

“Well, yeah, but I figure if I’m the one driving and I’ve got you as my company, I might enjoy it for once,” Tobin shrugs, reaching a hand up to scratch at the back of her neck, something Christen instantly recognizes as a nervous tic. 

Christen’s eyes shine with affection. “You’re so good to me, Tobes.”

Tobin blushes, but grins proudly. “You like the idea, then?”

“I would love to, as long as you’re sure you’ll be okay with such a long drive.”

“I looked it up, and it’s like a twenty hour drive. And I figure if we drive four or five hours a day, we can find somewhere to sleep for the night and explore whatever city we end up in, so I’ll get plenty of rest and time to stretch my legs. We’ll make it work, CP, we always do, you know that.”

“Okay, but we have to plan our stops ahead of time and book hotels, so we don’t end up stranded in a strange city with no place to stay,” Tobin can see the way Christen is already planning things out in her head, and she can’t help but smile, which Christen eagerly returns.

“Ugh, planning!” Tobin grumbles jokingly. “You’ve got yourself a deal, though, Chris. We can… _plan_ ,” she gives an exaggerated shudder.

Christen nods firmly. “I’ll take care of the details. Maybe I’ll have your mother help me, you know she’s done a lot of travelling for work so she might know places we can stay that aren’t shady.” 

“She’ll be thrilled to help you. She loves planning and itineraries almost as much as you!”

Christen gives a glare. “You make fun of it, but you know trips are better when you don't have to worry on the spot about what you’re going to do and where you’re going to stay.”

“Whatever you say, boss,” Tobin grins cheekily. She won’t admit that she doesn’t mind having every hour planned out when she’s on trips, as long as Christen is by her side. She trusts Christen to make decisions with her interests in mind.

“Oh, actually, that reminds me,” Christen pops up from the stool she’s been perched on, bringing her now empty mug to the kitchen sink. “I told Amy and Lauren that we’d meet them for brunch today.”

Tobin frowns. “Why didn’t they ask me?”

Christen laughs. “You’re in the groupchat, too, Tobes, you just never check your messages.”

And sure enough, when Tobin fishes her cell out of her shorts’ pocket, there’s over 20 messages in the _LA Babes_ thread that she’s had muted for literal years. She cringes at the total number of unopened texts, the little red _128_ bubble glaring at her from the bottom of her phone’s home screen, which happens to be a picture of her and Christen at their senior prom.

“ _Chris_ ,” Tobin groans. “I have so many unread messages!”

“That’s because you don’t ever open your texts,” Christen reminds her with a gentle, teasing tone.

“I _always_ open your texts!” Tobin protests. 

Christen can’t help but smirk. “I know, and I am very grateful for that, but I’m sure you might be receiving more important messages than just pictures of dogs I see on the street and sunsets from my parents’ roof.”

“No, those are definitely the most important texts I get,” Tobin disagrees with a smile. She frowns again, after a moment. “I guess I should go through all these, though.”

“You should,” Christen agrees. “Maybe after you get ready for brunch, while you wait for me to finish up.”

Tobin sighs. “Yeah, okay.”

“Speaking of, we should probably be getting ready,” Christen says.

With a pout, Tobin rises to her feet. “Do you have to go to your parents house to get ready?”

“Nah,” Christen shrugs. “I’ll borrow your mom’s hair straightener,” She glances down at her current outfit of sleep shorts and an old soccer t-shirt, “And maybe I’ll see what I can dig out of your closet that’s presentable.”

“Honestly you might be able to find some of your own clothes somewhere in there,” Tobin offers.

Christen tilts her head in contemplation, thinking of all the nights she used to spend at the Heath’s house, and all the clothes she couldn’t find when she was packing up for college. “Probably.”

“Okay then, let’s get this show on the road, because I am _starving_!”

Twenty or so minutes later, Tobin is sprawled on her bed, wearing a fresh pair of shorts and a t-shirt that Christen deemed acceptable brunch attire, because it doesn’t have any holes, wrinkles, or stains. 

Deciding to finally sift through all her unread texts, Tobin first glances through messages from various groupchats she’s a part of. Nothing of much importance has happened in any of them, and the number of unread messages is now greatly reduced, which eases Tobin’s distress enough to start checking texts from various high school acquaintances, college friends, and family members. 

There’s a few texts from Alex, the most recent asking if she and Christen want to go out for drinks tonight with her and Servando, and Tobin sighs but replies affirmatively. She hasn’t seen most of her closest friends from high school in a long while, and she’s only back home for a couple weeks, so she might as well make use of that time.

The half a dozen texts from Megan, her closest friend in Seattle, are mostly not in need of a response, but Tobin decides to send a text informing Megan of her plans to have Christen move in with her when she gets back in town, including the tidbit about their road trip plans. She figures Megan, ever the gossip, will spread this information with their other friends, and maybe some of them will be gracious enough to offer their help unloading the surely packed car that Tobin and Christen will arrive with in a few weeks’ time.

A text from Katie requests that Tobin spend ample time with their mother, who misses her dearly when she’s a thousand miles away in Seattle. One from Perry tells her to remember to find time to catch up with Jeff, the only one of the Heath siblings that still lives at home. Tobin sends a simple thumbs up emoji to each of her sisters in agreement to their suggestions.

Tobin blatantly ignores the several messages from various ex-girlfriends and past hookups, cringing at the ones here in LA that want to meet up. She doesn’t have time to sit through drinks with women she has never truly had feelings for. Why would she want to spend one-on-one time with any woman other than Christen? 

The handful of texts still unread, Tobin decides, do not require a reply, and she opens each thread just to get rid of the notifications. Okay, maybe there were a couple she _should_ have produced a response to, but Tobin is suddenly anxious, overwhelmed by going through so many people’s words to her.

Eyes wide and breath stilted, Tobin sits up and tosses her phone next to her onto the bed, watching helplessly as it bounces off the mattress and thuds mutedly against the carpeted floor. “Christen?” She calls out towards the connected bathroom.

Christen appears in the doorway quickly, observing Tobin’s clear distress. “What’s wrong?”

Tobin’s chest feels tight, and she can’t seem to remember any words that she could use to explain what is happening. The only thing she can manage is a whine that sounds like, “ _Chris_.” 

Christen crosses the room in long strides, sitting gently next to Tobin on the bed. She carefully places a hand on Tobin’s knee, recognizing the panic in Tobin’s eyes as a bubbling anxiety attack. Her eyes are clear and calm as Tobin gazes fearfully into them. “You’re okay, Tobes. Here, give me your hand,” she reaches her free hand out to one of Tobin’s, guiding the other woman’s hand to rest against her sternum. She takes a few deep, slow breaths. “Copy my breathing, Tobin. Nice and slow. I’m here, I’ve got you.”

Tobin’s hand trembles against Christen’s skin, but she gasps in a breath, trying to match the steady rise and fall of Christen’s chest. 

“Good, Tobin. Again,” Christen smiles encouragingly.

They sit for a few minutes as Tobin struggles to get her breathing under control, trying to slow the rapid thoughts in her head.

Tobin wipes at her watery eyes once she can take breaths without her lungs aching. She jolts forward, still a bit unstable in her movements, resting her forehead against the soft, warm skin where Christen’s neck meets her shoulder. She wraps her arms around Christen tightly, clutching onto the thin material of Christen’s shirt, feeling her best friend gently wrap her own arms around Tobin.

With a deep inhale of the sweet scent of Christen’s skin, lingering hints of summer sweat and her expensive perfume, Tobin feels her body’s balance returning.

Suddenly embarrassed, Tobin untangles herself from Christen, sighing and not meeting the other woman’s gaze. “Sorry. To interrupt your getting ready. We’ll probably be late now. I know you hate being late. I’m so sorry.”

“ _Tobin_ ,” Christen says, soft but firm. “I don’t care about being late, I care about you. What happened just now?”

“Too many messages,” Tobin shrugs, risking a glance up to Christen’s understanding eyes. “Overwhelming.”

Christen gives her a reassuring smile. “We’ll work on keeping you up to date with your texts, okay? So this doesn’t happen again. I’ve got your back, Tob. Do you want me to cancel brunch?”

“No!” Tobin squeaks. “No. I’m okay now. Are you almost ready?”

“Yes,” Christen nods. “Let me just put my shoes on and we can go. Do you want me to drive?”

Tobin frowns, contemplating the offer. “Okay.”

“Okay,” Christen echoes. She presses a kiss to Tobin’s hair as she stands from the bed, then leans down to scoop up Tobin’s discarded cell, slipping it into her own pocket for safe keepings.

Tobin stands slowly, popping a few stiff joints. “Thank you.”

Christen offers a simple smile in lieu of a verbal response. 

In her head, she indulges with a silent, _anything for you_. 

Amy and Lauren beat them to the restaurant by several minutes, and Christen makes a joke about LA traffic as she and Tobin slide into the booth opposite their friends. 

If they suspect anything other than traffic is the cause for the duo’s tardiness, they keep it to themselves, Tobin notes as they’re settling in. She squirms a bit, then stretches her right arm to rest on the top of the booth behind Christen’s head. It’s their usual position when it comes to dining out.

“Do you guys remember when we came here the morning after you two graduated?” Tobin is slightly aware of the fact that she hasn’t been listening to the topic of conversation for several minutes, and she might even be interrupting one them speaking, but she’s still a little dazed from her panic attack and doesn’t consciously care.

“Yeah,” Lauren laughs. “You stole the spotlight by coming out to us. What, you got something else to come out as, too? Go for it, Tobes.”

“No,” Tobin blushes at the memory. 

She and Christen were sixteen when Lauren and Amy graduated, and they had come to this diner for brunch the day after Lauren and Amy crossed the stage. She had only decided to come out to them about twenty minutes prior to arriving at the restaurant. It happened when she had stepped out of her house after seeing Christen’s car pull up out front. Christen had all the windows of the car down, on account of the beautiful end-of-spring day, and the sun was streaming into the car. Tobin had stood for a moment, with the passenger’s door open, simply staring at the way Christen’s skin absorbed the sunlight. She was practically glowing, more radiant than any sun Tobin had ever seen, yet Tobin was frozen with her feet fused to the concrete, unable to do anything but stare at her gorgeous best friend. It couldn’t have been for too long, because Christen didn’t question any long pause she may have spent standing outside the open car door before plopping into the seat. 

Up until that moment, Tobin had been able to keep her unchristian-like thoughts about other girls at bay. Tobin had always been firm in her stance that Christen was the prettiest girl she’d ever met, but she’d never had such a sharp urge to reach out and _touch_ the perfect creature that had somehow chosen to spend her days slumming it with _Tobin_ of all people. She couldn’t lie to herself anymore about how much more she appreciated the physical forms of women more than that of men. It would be almost disrespectful to Christen to continue denying that she was _attracted_ to Christen, rather than objectively saying she was simply _attractive_ . Not that that would mean she would ever even _consider_ telling Christen about these newly realized deeper-than-friendship feelings. But it was the principle of it; Christen was too _good_ for Tobin to not accept these feelings and what they meant in regards to her sexuality. And so with a smile and a “that shirt is really cute, Chris, is it new?” Tobin decided that she needed to share her lesser realization, the _holy-shit-i’m-gay_ realization, not the _holy-shit-i-think-i’m-in-love-with-my-best-friend_ realization, as soon as possible. 

Brunch was the perfect place, because no one would yell if they had negative reactions, and Tobin’s family wouldn’t be around to overhear potentially devastating news. Lauren and Amy had taken the news in stride, though, and relief washed over Tobin like the ocean waves she loves so much. Christen’s quiet “I’m so proud of you, Tob” was enough to make Tobin feel like no matter what, everything would be okay. 

But, six years later, none of that is the point of Tobin bringing up that day. “I guess I just wanted to bring up how much I love all you guys, and I think that might’ve been the first time I had ever really said that out loud because I’m not great with emotions. It was a good feeling, is all,” she shrugs, mind still swimming in the wave of memories she had just been hit with.

“Aw, Tobes, you’re growing up to be such a softie!” Amy squeals. “We love you too!”

Tobin smiles, happy that she had managed to get her point across. She’s missed brunch with these three.

“I’ll come out.”

Tobin whips her head to the side to look at Christen, whose words were nothing more than a loud whisper. “What?”

“It’s tradition now, after you did it and one-upped Lauren and Amy’s graduation. I’ll one-up your being sappy,” Christen’s voice grows in volume as her confidence grows. She tears her gaze away from Tobin’s confused honey eyes, appraising Lauren and Amy, who are looking at her in quiet interest. She gives a firm nod, mostly to herself, and then she speaks again, “I’m a lesbian.”

Lauren offers a strong smile and kind eyes, “Proud of you, Pressy.”

Amy reaches out to give Christen’s hand resting on the table a quick squeeze. “Thank you for trusting us enough to tell us.”

Christen apprehensively returns her eyes to Tobin’s face, trying to gauge Tobin’s reaction through the almost painful silence.

Tobin coughs, once, then a semi-sincere smile plasters onto her lips. “You know we love you no matter what, Chris.”

Christen finally allows herself to crack a smile. “Thanks, guys. Sorry to take the attention away from our reunion.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything less from all of us hanging out,” Lauren grins, earning a bit of laughter.

She observes the duo across from her carefully. Tobin’s mind is clearly even further from this table than it had been to begin with. And Christen looks liberated, but there’s anxiety in the way she twists a sugar packet between her fingers on the table. Lauren has known these two women for the better part of a decade, and she’s known this moment was coming for almost just as long. She wouldn’t be surprised if the next brunch announcement was from the two of them revealing they have begun a relationship. 

  
At this point, Lauren rolls her eyes to herself, the only two people who don’t know that Tobin and Christen are in love are _Tobin and Christen_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think.


	3. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me to me: you dont have to write every single moment that happens leading up to their roadtrip to seattle.
> 
> also me to me: okay, but hear me out. i'm gonna do it anyway ;)
> 
> hope y'all like this chapter

“I’m gonna grab lunch with Channing and Tyler tomorrow,” Christen says while shimmying into a pair of skinny jeans. “We might get our nails done, too, and you are welcome to join us for both or either of those events.”

Tobin keeps her eyes fixed on her fidgeting hands in her lap, not letting her gaze stray across the room to where Christen is rooting through her drawers for a shirt to complete her outfit. “I’m actually getting up early to go with Jeff to do some fishing tomorrow,” Tobin frowns as she idly spins the ring on her thumb.

Christen glances over to where Tobin is propped up against the many pillows on Christen’s childhood bed. She easily picks up on the nerves radiating off of her best friend. “Hey, we don’t have to go out tonight if you still feel a little off,” she offers gently.

Tobin’s eyes jerk up to meet Christen’s. “No. No, it’s okay, I’m fine now, Chris. Promise.”

Christen stares at Tobin for a few moments, clearly sizing up whether or not she is going to believe Tobin. She sighs, “Okay. But at least let me text Alex and see if they wanna meet for dinner instead of at the bar.”

“That sounds good, actually,” Tobin relents.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Christen finally finds a shirt that she deems acceptable. “My dad is grilling on Saturday afternoon, and wanted me to invite you, Jeff, and Cindy to join us for dinner. My sisters will be there, too.”

Tobin lets out a surprised squeak as Christen simply yanks off the shirt she’s currently wearing, and she averts her eyes quickly as Christen pulls on the fresh shirt she had chosen. “I’ll let mom and Jeff know. They’ll be pleased, I think. You know how much my whole family loves Cody’s cooking.”

Christen grins. “It’s been so long since we got both our families together. Probably not since…” She hesitates, “not since my mom passed.”

“All the more reason to bring back the tradition. You know Stacy would be so mad at us if we stopped just because she’s gone. She loved our cookouts.”

Christen smiles again, softly, with a little bit of pain. “You’re right.”

“That’s the first time you’ve ever said that to me, I think,” Tobin teases.

Christen rolls her eyes, but there’s affection clear in the gaze she fixes Tobin with a moment later. “Don’t get used to it,” she winks.

A little less than an hour later, the duo makes their way into the restaurant that Alex had suggested when Christen prompted a change from the bar they were supposed to meet at.

Alex and Servando have already arrived, so Tobin and Christen are swiftly whisked away to a table in the back corner of the restaurant where their friends await them.

As soon as she spots them, Alex jumps up from her seat and lets out a squeal, rushing to hug both women at once. 

“It’s been too long!” Alex squeezes them tightly and then releases them so they can all sit down.

“Hey, ladies,” Servando offers a smile. “Good to see you guys again.”

“You too,” Christen greets, settling into the booth. “We’ve gotta catch a game next time we’re here during the season.”

“Definitely,” Servando agrees. “Or maybe Lex and I will come up to Seattle some time and we can go to one there.”

“I’d love to show you guys around Seattle,” Tobin pipes up. She’s about to continue speaking, but the table’s waitress shows up and steals the attention. 

“Good evening, y’all, my name is Annie and I’m your server for tonight. Can I get you started with some drinks and an appetizer?” 

Christen frowns at the way tall, blonde  _ Annie _ is very obviously ogling Tobin, who is oblivious to the attention, staring at the menu trying to decide what she’s going to get to drink.

Tobin looks up to her tablemates, “you guys feel like beer or wine tonight?”

“Wine, definitely,” Alex says. She turns to Annie, who is still looking at Tobin. “Red, obviously. Whatever Annie here recommends, hmm?”

“Oh, of course!” Annie says quickly. “Any appetizers?”

“No, thank you. We’ll probably be ready to order when you come back with the wine,” Alex dismisses.

“Of course!”

As soon as Annie walks away and is out of ear-shot, Alex rolls her eyes with a loud scoff. “She couldn’t have been more obvious about having the hots for you, Tobes.”

“Huh?” Tobin looks up from the menu. “What do you mean?”

“She didn’t look at the rest of the table at all, how could you not have noticed?” Alex rolls her eyes again.

“I was trying to decide what kind of pasta I’m gonna get,” Tobin shrugs. She turns to Christen. Who plasters on a neutral expression. “Was she really staring at me?”

“Yeah, Tob,” Christen says. “She’ll probably give you her number by the end of the night.”

“No way,” Tobin laughs, but she frowns when none of the other three join in. “Guys, c’mon, nobody  _ ever _ hits on me when we go out.”

That earns a trio of laughs, which only serves to confuse Tobin even more.

“They do, you just never notice,” Servando tells her.

“Yeah, you’re always too focused on-” Alex yelps when Servando pinches her forearm to cut her off. “Food! You never notice because you’re too busy with  _ food _ .”

“Oh,” Tobin chews on her bottom lip, trying to think back to any moment in the past where a waitress may have been hitting on her. She can’t think of a single instance where she ever even gave a server a second glance. And it clicks in her head. Tobin’s attention rarely leaves Christen when they’re out at a restaurant or bar. She wouldn’t have noticed another woman hitting on her if they plopped into her lap. Everything is always  _ ChristenChristenChristenChristenChristen _ in Tobin’s head. There’s no room for anything, any _ one _ else. 

Tobin doesn’t even notice Annie coming back to bring them their drinks and take their orders. She doesn’t remember what she decides on for dinner. She’s too deep in her head, trying to analyze previous nights out. How obvious has she been in her clear disinterest of anyone that isn’t Christen Press? Has Christen ever noticed it? Who else has seen the way that Christen is the Sun that Tobin’s Earth orbits around?

If you asked Tobin to recount the events of tonight, she wouldn’t be able to tell you anything. They’re at the restaurant for over an hour but Tobin doesn’t know if she contributed to the conversation at all. She doesn’t think anyone calls her out on it. She probably wouldn’t have noticed even if they did.

But then the bill is paid and everyone is getting ready to go, so Tobin stands up and hugs Alex and Servando goodbye before trailing after Christen through the restaurant towards the parking lot.

“Did you leave the napkin with Annie’s number on it at the table on purpose or on accident?” Christen asks as they step out into the crisp night air.

“Huh?”

“On accident, then,” Christen lets out a quiet laugh that almost sounds real to her own ears. Tobin clearly doesn’t notice it’s mostly forced. “You okay, Tob? You’ve been a little spacey tonight.”

“I guess I’m just tired,” Tobin shrugs. “Can you text Alex and set something up to hang with them again before we leave? I feel bad I wasn’t paying attention during dinner.”

Christen loops her arm through Tobin’s, leaning lightly against the other woman. “Of course. Let’s get you home so you can get some sleep, okay?”

“‘kay.”

Christen lets a comfortable quiet sink over them as she drives to Tobin’s house. She’s a little concerned by Tobin’s behavior tonight, but with her panic attack and their busy afternoon, she forces herself to accept that Tobin probably is just exhausted. 

“You’re not coming in?” Tobin asks in a small voice when Christen pulls into the Heaths’ driveway, putting the car in park but not turning off the engine.

“You’ve got an early morning with Jeff, and I’m spending tomorrow with my sisters, remember? I figured it made more sense if I spent the night at my house,” Christen explains gently.

“Oh, right, yeah, that makes sense,” Tobin agrees quietly. 

“Tomorrow after fishing, why don’t you come here and pack a bag and I’ll pick you up on my way back from lunch with my sisters. We can watch movies and drink beer with my dad, how about that?” Christen offers.

Tobin smiles. “That sounds nice. Okay.”

Christen gives a bright smile. “Good. Call me if you need anything, okay, Tob?”

“I will,” Tobin slips out of her seatbelt and props open the passenger’s door. “Text me when you get home?”

“Always,” Christen agrees.

“Love you, CP. Thanks for putting up with me today.”

“I love you too, Tobin. Thanks for putting up with me for the past twelve years,” Christen shoots back, earning a smile from Tobin, which she basks in for the entire drive home and throughout her whole nighttime routine. 

**Chris [9:42PM]** _ Just got into bed. Sleep well! _

**Tobes [9:44PM]** _ gn chris. sweet dreams <3 _

* * *

“So, how’s Tobin doing? Did you invite her to come today? Why didn’t she?”

Christen lets out a small laugh at Tyler’s rapid-fire questioning as soon as they’ve all sat down at the table. “Tobin is doing well. She’s fishing with her brother today, is all. She’ll be at the house tonight if you want to stop by and say hello.”

“You know what, I just might!” Tyler says.

“She’s coming to the barbeque on Saturday, though, right?” Channing asks.

“Yes. She texted me this morning that Jeff and Cindy are thrilled to come as well,” Christen smiles.

“I didn’t realize she even knew she had a phone!” Tyler cackles. “You know it’s a whole joke with all your friends that if you have something to talk to Tobin about, you’ve gotta text Christen about it.”

Christen rolls her eyes. “You’re so dramatic!”

“I’m not even kidding, Chris! You’re literally the only person Tobin ever texts back. And she  _ never  _ picks up a phone call.”

“I think you spend too much time gossiping with my friends about me,” Christen playfully narrows her eyes at her older sister.

“Well, I wouldn’t have to if  _ you  _ would ever talk about it!” Tyler huffs.

“Talk about what?” Christen asks.

“You and Tobin.”

“What do you mean? I talk about me and Tobin all the time. Literally all the time, Ty.”

Tyler rolls her eyes. “I’m not talking about ‘oh me and Tobin got the most delicious coffee today!’ I’m talking about how you guys are in love with each other!”

“Tyler!” Channing warns.

Christen frowns. “You know it’s not like  _ that _ with us.”

“Only because you’re too pussy to fess up to her!”

“ _ Tyler _ !” Channing repeats.

Christen takes a deep, steadying breath. “When I confided in you guys about my feelings for Tobin, I  _ did not _ intend for you to shove it back in my face during every conversation.”

Tyler sighs. “I’m not trying to shove it in your face, Chris. I just wish you would see that she’s crazy about you, too.”

“She’s my best friend, Ty. She doesn’t think of me like that, and I’ve long since made my peace with it. Being her best friend… that’s enough for me.”

Tyler raises her hands in surrender, “alright, alright. I will zip my lips about it. But one day you’ll regret never telling her!”

Christen simply takes a long sip of her mimosa, not dignifying Tyler’s words with a response.

* * *

“So, you and Christen bang yet?”

Tobin chokes on the gulp of water she’d been taking. “Jeffrey! What the fuck?”

Jeff rolls his eyes and lets out a laugh that’s probably loud enough to scare all the fish in the lake away. “C’mon, Toby. Everybody knows you guys have the hots for each other.”

“First of all, you know I hate it when you call me that! And second, me and Christen are best friends, that’s all. You don’t even know if she’s gay or not!”

“Okay,  _ Tobin _ . Is she gay?”

“That’s none of your business, dude,” Tobin tells him. “It doesn’t matter either way, though. It’s not like that between me and her.”

“When was the last time you looked at anyone the way you look at Christen? It’s just you and me here, Tobes. You can admit it,” Jeff says.

“What happened to the dweeb that wanted to know as little about his sisters as possible?” Tobin huffs.

“College happened, sis. I’m a whole new man now!” Jeff boasts.

“You’re  _ barely _ a man at all,” Tobin rolls her eyes. 

Jeff clutches his chest in mock pain. “Oof, you wound me.”

“Anyone ever tell you how annoying you are?”

Jeff grins. “Yes. You, dozens of times.”

“Good.”

“You never answered my question!” Jeff says.

“That was on purpose,” Tobin tells him. 

“Okay, well I’m making a speech at yours and Christen’s wedding and telling all your guests about how much of a stick in the mud you were when I tried to speed up the process of you guys getting together.”

“ _ Wedding _ ? Are you on drugs, Jeffrey? Did you hit your head this morning? Because you are so off-base with everything you’re saying today.”

“Am I really, though, Tobin?” Jeff smirks.

“Will it shut you up if I tell you I have feelings for Chris? Is that what you’re looking for? Because yes, I do, and  _ no _ , it doesn’t matter. Like I said, it’s not like that between me and her, okay? So just drop it,” Tobin gives her brother a glare, daring him to continue on this topic.

“Whatever you say,  _ Toby _ ,” Jeff shrugs.

And then—

“You pushed Jeff off the dock? Oh my god, Tobin!”

Tobin shrugs, sipping her beer. “He was being annoying!”

Christen laughs and laughs. “I bet Cindy had a lot to say about that when you guys got home.”

“She tried to ground me!” Tobin says with a grin. “Twenty-two years old and still getting in trouble for putting Jeff in his place.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time you’ve snuck out your bedroom window to come to my house when you’re grounded,” Christen reminds her.

“Oh, god,” Tobin groans. “Don’t even joke about that! My wrist aches every time it rains because of when I fell out of that tree and broke it.”

“Aw, poor baby,” Christen teases.

“You’re lucky there’s no lake nearby, Chris, or you’d be taking a swim just like Jeff did earlier!”

“You wouldn’t dare,” Christen challenges. 

“Guess we’ll never know,” Tobin shrugs with a smirk.

And no, Tobin would never push a fully-clothed Christen into a dirty lake like she did with her little brother this afternoon. Christen doesn’t need to know that, though.

“Girls, dinner’s ready!” Cody shouts from the kitchen.

“I’ll race you!” Christen jumps up and launches over the back of the couch, leaving a laughing Tobin in her wake as she bolts to the kitchen.

Tobin doesn’t even bother trying to catch up. She just stares after Christen for a few long moments.

  
And,  _ goddamnit _ , Jeff is right. She really does want to marry this girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anything you guys wanna see in this universe? drop any feedback in the comments or on tumblr.

**Author's Note:**

> drop your thoughts in a comment or over on tumblr @ llostt-in-ttranslationn to let me know if this is something worth exploring and continuing.


End file.
